2021 is sprinting to the end and thank God it is! It’s been a struggle, but we’re surviving as best we can. Now, we stand on the cusp of our Thanksgiving holiday in the States. The precursor to Christmas is almost nigh. So we are asked to write our obligatory “Thankful” poem … anything with the word THANK in the title or in the body of your poem would be greatly accepted! So, for Marie and myself, we tell you that we are very thankful for each and every one of you who share this ‘familial’ garden with us. We appreciate you to no end and consider you all family as well as friends. Happy Thanksgiving to all who will be celebrating. And Happy you’re with us moving forward! Be thankful!
MARIE’S THANKFUL:
Late, but here! 🙂 Rummaging Through Covid-19, and Finding Buts It began with head pain that made previous headaches pale, but it wasn’t the “alarming” head pain described by some. I slept 21-22 hours per day for the first three days, but I was able to sleep. It brought an engulfing fatigue, but energy is returning. A low-grade fever made me feel sickly, but it remained low-grade. I lost my ability to taste and smell, but found the crunch of a toasted bagel spread with pretty white creamy cheese strangely satisfying. Lockdown could have felt oppressively lonely, but the love of my life was with me. I was much sicker than he, but I could enjoy watching him plant spring flower bulbs. In isolation, depression could have decided to visit, but unseasonable warmth and sun visited instead, leaving depression no seat at the table. My brain and eyes could not read, but they are beginning to browse again. Writing poems became impossible. But here is one and, though it is not poetic, I am thankful it came to call. © Marie Elena Good, 2021
WALT’S THANKFUL POEM:
WORDS OF THANKS Friends gathered in celebration a family in tradition, a condition in which grateful hearts honor blessings given. Thankful for a holiday that can play up this function of our human nature. Grand in stature, a feast shared, prepared in love to fete the historic past as the leaves drift downward, parades move forward and we eat ourselves into a long nap. © Walter J Wojtanik
POETIC BLOOMINGS 
Responses
Wonderful beginning. Thanks Walt and Marie! 🦃
Cute turkey! 😀
Late to the party, but did somewhat feel like I could maybe write a little something. Feels good to feel good enough to do that.
THANKS FOR ANOTHER DAY
Thanks be to God
for another day….
For another chance to inhale deeply,
breath sweet mercies anew.
For another chance to prance with new
steps and trot along to new places.
Another chance to witness the waking of the sun,
wade in her warmth, salute her golden sunset.
Another chance to feel the brilliance of a familiar
hug, to sight the smiles of those we call family.
Benjamin Thomas
100% yes to your sweet sentiments!
Yes
“breathe sweet mercies anew” – so beautiful, Benjamin.
Thanks Sara.
Well captured, Pard! ❤
Amen to that.
Hey Walt! Lookie, lookie! We reached 1,000 “followers!” I don’t usually look, but just happened to notice it. Cool!
Thanks for the Early Morning Clouds
Birds sing in shadows
as the maple next door
raises its weary arms.
Crimson leaves drift downward
and dance with a breeze.
The world outside lives
and dies, but rings
in the trunk remember the seasons.
The laptop glows,
while I look
for emails from friends,
and memories cast a spell.
Fall cloaks itself in shadows
for the fallen
for a love
I once knew.
A poem I once wrote
has two meanings
as I read it once more.
A quiet side street
gives moments of solitude
to reflect on the dreams
no one else can see.
Memories stir visions
of the many lives seen.
They’re mine, they’re mine,
I say.
I close my eyes
and live them again.
A house well-lived bears its age
as a touch of red bleeds
through a worn coat of paint.
Leaves me a bit breathless. Wonderful.
Thanks, William.
*sigh* Indeed. Varied lines/thoughts/images/emotions, all gorgeously penned …
Thanks, Marie.
Love the imagery in this, Mike. I like to think about reflecting on dreams no one else can see.
Great start Marie. And glad this piece came to visit. Your ordeal is one to take to heart. Hope you continue to progress. Even little bits are and improvement! I am so thankful for our friendship and connection!
Created magic, it did.
Wow. Thank you so much!
Thank you, Walt. I’m sooo thankful as well.
1000! I always thought our followers were “grand”!
HA! Right? Perfect response! 😀
This prompt reminds me of Rainger and Robin’s great song from 1938. Many variations on the lyrics have been written over the years, but here’s the original, for those interested:
❤
Quickly
I discovered my
body is not who I am.
Thank goodness for that.
Bingo!
Hear, hear! (So much, in so few. ❤ )
Our bodies may be busted, it our minds are still quite sharp, Daniel!
Great realization!
Marie, I’ve long thought that there’s an essential optimism about you, and I think this offering today confirms that. Glad you’re mending.
Thank you so much, Bill.
Yes Bill, she is positively Marie! Her glass remains quite full!
Appreciation
Thank you for the friends I meet,
also for the foods we eat,
every liquid drop, each seed,
and thank you for the love I need.
Thank you for our lovely beach,
the ocean so within our reach.
Even though it’s not the norm,
I appreciate the occasional storm.
I’m thankful that it comes to mind
to smile a lot, and to be kind.
It’s great to see, with honest clarity,
I care enough for flawless charity,
and I’m reminded every day
I’m grateful that I’ve learned to pray,
since it’s the perfect place to start,
to ease my soul, to warm my heart.
Thank you for my new found health,
what I now know as my own true wealth.
Thank you for the clean, fresh air,
with sun and laughter, quite the pair.
Thanks also for my art, my books,
our old cat Max, his goofy looks,
tee shirts, sweat pants, my faith too,
and nothing’s better than our zoo.
Thank you for my meditations,
those middle of the day vacations.
Thank you for our lovely home,
and each and every published poem.
Mostly, thanks for my awesome wife,
the greatest part of a grateful life.
This is a delight to read and recite. The use of “zoo” is leading me to San Diego, eh wot?
Yes! And, of course, our other favorite is Safari Park, with the delightfully poetic concession stand with the sign which reads, “Barking Deer, Pizza, Beer”
I thought you were kidding, but then I read about muntjacs.
Daniel, you KNOW I love this. Wonder-filled words from a wonderful heart!
This is so filled with love, Daniel.
Thank you is not enough for how genuinely grateful I am for all of my comrades in words, for the work done by the chief tillers and hoers, and last but not least, the most masterful and prolific reader and commentator, William.
Thank you, dear friend. And It’s good to see the recognition and grateful to Bill. Couldn’t agree more!
Add my awe and inspiration, Daniel!
Thankful to be planted in this garden of beautiful poets. Grateful to Walt and Marie for tending to us and helping us bloom.
Thank you, Candy! We are ABUNDANTLY grateful for you, too!
Amen to that.
We Come Once More
We come, once more, to this
thankful
season. A time of introspection – normal
for poets
whose cups spill over with syllables of love,
with souls
filled to the brim with joy and sadness, and hearts
that beat
out the rhythm of life and death
with truth.
#waltmarie
Another wonderful rendering of your form. Love it.
I wish you could see directly into my heart. Every time you pen a #waltmarie, it makes my heart beam. This one is no exception. ❤
Another #waltmarie gem, Candace!
Poetic Asides’ prompt is ekphrastic poetry so these are a combination of prompts.
Divine Focus
In Renoir’s painting “By the Seashore”
the focus is on the young woman
dressed in her dark blue bonnet and dress
with cliffs and sea in the background.
The woman, in her bamboo cane chair,
has set her attention on the artist.
I love gazing at the beauty and peace of the ocean,
but help me remember to look at the Artist.
Your focus is on Your passion, people.
Thank You for creating ocean and people.
Thank You for Your great love for me.
Lovely! I’ll add my humble amen.
Avocado Orchard
Dan Schultz’s “Avocado Orchard”
painted in oils, showing splashes of light
off the green leaves with muted mountains
in the background reflects the hike
my sisters and I took yesterday
as we went past a Carpinteria high school.
The path weaved through
many green houses, over bridges,
by pomegranate trees, birds of paradise,
various types of cactus and bushes
and up and up the rocky, dirt path.
We greeted fellow hikers as they passed.
We took pictures of a wake of vultures
relaxing in a shady wooded area,
a spider climbing its nest with it’s
cotton-like encased victim in tow,
and us on a rustic bridge
and at various points on the trail.
A victory picture shows
two of us making it to the top,
while the third waited for us
at the point where steepness began.
Thank You, Lord, for avocados,
warm November weather
and love between sisters.
So vivid, this.
Truly … both in imagery and sentiment.
So enjoyed this… can see you atop the rise and the avocados spreading around you below….
Not Quite Uccello
It didn’t look quite like the dragon
of Saint George and the Dragon
by Paolo Uccello—mean, green,
agile and musclebound,
rather the opposite, pale purple,
cartoonish, clunky and ridiculous.
The paddle boat my two sisters
and I rode on in Ventura harbor
contrasted significantly
with the catamarans and yachts
in the harbor. We had a blast
pedaling away past all the boats
and docks with barking seals
and coyote statues standing guard.
We joked about being lost
in the open ocean and the headlines
that would appear in the Ventura
County Star–Coastguards Rescues
Three Sisters in Purple Dragon.
Thank You that no such thing happened,
the only embarrassment being
a boatload of college boys
laughing and cheering.
So fun!—Thank You, Lord!
Enjoyed this read, especially the surprise ending! Oh the adventures you and your sisters DO have, though!
Thankful Even Though…
Darkness surrounds
but I’m awake again
this time clear headed
suddenly knowing a broken
shard from the inside crack
in the oven glass is lurking
that the jagged seam found late evening
is not sealed but gaping: its own hole
that I confirm with finger, flashlight
in the same moment know too
that the double batch of chex mix
filling two roasting pans plus
a sheetpan of golden acorn squash
have to go onto the compost
for opossum and field mouse
packrat and greedy raccoons
who will lick buttery brown
sugared paws and grinning, wash
leaving me shattered
by the implications of it all
four days before Thanksgiving
already turkey set to thaw
ingredients staged, pies to bake
vegetables to roast and the list
five pages in my kitchen notebook
and yet somehow after searching
the bottom of the oven on hands
and knees with magnifier and light
I am simply left thankful for that
unseen hand pushing me to awaken
to re-check that crack discovered
after a long day of baking when
wiping the oven door, sad to see it,
surely cosmetic, only to learn later
of ‘spontaneous shattering’ often
sending send razor sharp missiles
into food: invisible, lethal
my finger resting in the hole then
as I begin in the predawn
to empty out tins and containers
already packaged for family and friends
content to know that somehow
some way there will be a new stove
and everyone will be safe despite
such horrific possibilities
the menu a bit altered but as
cold rises furred and feathered
will have their own Thanksgiving feast.
—
HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE! Be well & thank-filled, as I am thankful for all of you. Such a supportive writing community with terrific hosts.
This makes me glad I don’t cook.
My oh my oh my!! True story, Pat?? Glued-to-my seat in the telling.
Happy Thanksgiving to you as well!! Hugs across cyberspace!
Happy Thanksgiving Pat! 👏😊
Things happen, but you made animals happy! Peace and good health, Pat!
this week my preacher asked if I had a poem on being grateful, and I told him I did, but I had to modify it a bit… He took it and used it as a responsive reading this morning in church… I am very grateful for that, and other things but my headache I have had most of the day I am not exactly happy for it… Here is that poem…
Gratitude
I am grateful
For the day
I have lived
Though I am unwell
For I have lived it.
I am grateful
For friends
Who reach out
When I don’t want
To be reached.
I am grateful
For those
I have lost
For once
They shared my life.
I am grateful
For being able
To sing
Though my cats
Wish I wouldn’t.
I am grateful
For kindness
That has been
Given to me
Though I don’t deserve it.
I am grateful
To be able to see,
To hear, to touch,
To taste and to smell
This earth’s bounties.
I am grateful
For to read
When there are those
Who cannot read
Or own a book.
I am grateful
For joy
That makes
My insides
Sparkle and glow.
I am grateful
For this life’s
Rough times
For I have
Learned difficult lessons.
I am grateful
For being forgiven
When I did not deserve it,
And loved
When I was unlovely.
Mary Elizabeth Todd
July 29, 2018
This is the edit
Gratitude
I am grateful
For the day
I have lived
For each day
Is a gift.
I am grateful
For friends
Who reach out
And share
Their lives with me.
I am grateful
For those
I have lost
For once
They shared my life.
I am grateful
For kindness
That has been
Given to me
Though I don’t deserve it.
I am grateful
To be able to see,
To hear, to touch,
To taste and to smell
This earth’s bounties.
I am grateful
For joy
That makes
My soul
Sparkle and glow.
I am grateful
For this life’s
Rough times
For I have
Learned difficult lessons.
I am grateful
For being forgiven
When I did not deserve it,
And loved
When I was unlovely.
Mary Elizabeth Todd
July 29, 2018 Edited November 17, 2021
Lovely in both versions, Mary!
Thanksgiving Day
T his time of year always make me
H appy because I am very thankful for
A ll the blessings I have received.
N o blessing, however, is better than
K nowing that my eternal soul is
S ecure in the hands of the one and only
G od of the heavens and the earth.
I will always be thankful for the
V ictory Christ had on the cross that
I nsured us a path to salvation through the
N ew Covenant and a new way for us to
G ain entry into Heaven to be with Him.
D aily we should thank the Lord God
A lmighty for all He has done for us
Y esterday, today and forever
Smaller, but Thankful
Family is shrinking.
I am thankful for everyone here,
glad we are all in sync.
Family is shrinking,
but I am thinking
how I hold you all dear.
Family is shrinking.
I am thankful for everyone here.
Sweet and somber at the same time. Wonderful.
Thanks, William!
THE TASTE OF THANKFULNESS
I’m grateful that these lips can taste
the deeds of thankfulness.
To embrace the flavor of appreciation,
share its manifold riches.
Not to savor in the moment of indulgence,
but rather give honor to whom honor is due.
To grace the ears and hearts with the unrivaled
weapon of thanksgiving.
Benjamin Thomas
Amen
THE TRUE FEAST
Sometimes the word of thanks is indecisive—
in our mouths like a hyper kinetic ping pong ball.
Bouncing off the solid walls of an active mind.
Offense, doubt, grudge, thoughts, fears we find.
The word of thanksgiving can feed an entire
village, slake one’s thirst, heal a famine.
The word of thanksgiving can be the meat—
to meet the need of the many.
To defeat the woes of the weak and depressed,
that they would possess the fatness of respect—
and not be skinny.
The word of thanksgiving is the true feast,
the blessing, the word, the meat, that keeps on
giving.
Benjamin Thomas
I think that “skinny” line was perfect!
Thanks William.
For the animals I loved…
I am grateful
For the blessing
Of the animals
Who shared my life….
I am grateful
For my cat Lucifer
For he was lovely
and loved my father.
I am grateful for King,
The dog that lived
With my family
Before I was born.
I am grateful
Cat, Lucy, Kris, Montana
All cats I had briefly…
I am grateful
For Dezia
The furball from hell
Who ruled our house
For twenty plus years.
I am grateful for Ruby
The possessed cat…
Need I say more.
I am grateful for Murphy,
Lady B. Greta, Mollie,
Oh how I loved Mollie,
Sibby the sweet girl, Sooth,
Tessa who ate my house,
Her mother Gypsy,
Clarabelle, and especially Dexter
The white fluff dog
That someone threw out,
And how I missed them all when
They were gone.
The inheritance
Ma left was a herd of cats..
King Louis ruled,
And was solid and wise,
But there was Puff
Who like to hang in trees,
And Stripe, my gansta cat,
Who when I got the boys fixed
Went to find her some boys elsewhere…
Ah Mira how I loved you and regretted
Not keeping you inside but you
Liked to wander,
But came home to die…
Zaney, Zelda, and Zeke
All came from an abuse situation…
And Zelda the last to go
Liked to hear me read poetry
As did Biddie…
Thank you, girls.
Butter was Louis’s brother,
And a scrapper,
Rattail BlackFace (the cat
I named for her beautiful
Onyx black shining face)
Mother and son with
BlackFace being the queen…
Lord I loved that cat
Who like me and greeted
Me each time I got home.
There were many more
I said it was a herd…
There were my guardians
That lived within the house…
Gus and June a gift from God,
And how I cried when each of them died…
Cassie, my bright shining girl,
I can’t believe it is nearly four years
Since I said goodbye…
There was Pearl who died young,
From a disease that in human form
Took my brothers and my father…
Now left is Tillie, my sassy girl,
And Binkey my baby that I raised with a bottle,
And outside and someday I hope
He will be inside
The kitten I call Zippy.
I am thankful for their lives…
I cried when they left me,
But I wouldn’t have it any other way
For not having them in my life
Would have been my loss
Of their gracing my life.
Mary Elizabeth Todd
November 22, 2021
Smiling throughout and I read.
Thank you and I have been blessed with many animals and their wonderful selves….
I so appreciate and relate completely to this tribute, Mary.
Very sweet Mary. This could be a complete book.
Reblogged this on eastelmhurst.a.go.go.
[…] Poetic Bloomings Prompt #361 […]
REMEMBERING THE LITTLE THINGS
The big ticket items
Like a spouse
A family
Children
A home
Safety
Security
Cars,
Sunlight
Stars
Easy to be thankful for
Yet going to the store
Fresh water and more
Simple things we adore
So easily overlooked
A meal well cooked
The way we feel
After a good night’s sleep
When sleeping children
Don’t make a peep
Birds singing outside our window
Green grass growing down below
Strangers smiling
Just because you’re there
A moment to relax
Comfy in your chair
Morning coffee
A perfect cup
Nothing better
To wake us up
The warm slippers
Across the cold floor
Valuing that comfort
Like ever before
An attitude of gratitude
Brings a light-hearted joy
Like a day with that coffee
So simple to enjoy
PS Let’s not forget poets and each beautiful word, like magic written and living beauty heard! Thank you for all you create, just so you know, it’s really great!
Happy Thanksgiving!
This feels good, like those warm slippers. Love it.
Thank you for all the lovely work you share, and the comfort of this poem.
Thanks Janet! A heartfelt poem.
THANKS FOR THE POETRY
(Apologies to Ralph Rainger and Leo Robin
and their “Thanks for the Memory”)
Thanks for the poetry:
quaterns and villanelles;
pantoums and paradelles
and treochairs that carry airs
that ring like tinkling bells.
I thank you so much.
Thanks for the poetry:
verse structured and verse free
commingled happily,
and Candy’s form that sets a norm
that she calls waltmarie.
I thank you so much.
Many’s the line that we pondered
and many’s the word that we squandered.
Oh, well, it’s been swell as we wandered.
We’ve all had fun, and we’re not done.
So thanks for the poetry,
the scintillating verse,
sometimes lengthy, sometimes terse
that casts a light and bids me write
for better or for worse.
I thank you so much.
Oh, William, this is lovely and great fun! You are right, we’re not done! Love it!
Brilliant, William!
Splendid, William!
For memories I am thankful…
In the days when I was small,
Our house was filled with people
While the turkey was cooking,
And dressing was made,
With cranberries, sweet potatoes,
And apples always apples…
The children went out to play,
And I would climb a tree,
While my brothers laughed,
And talked with each other.
We would gather around the table
Festive and bright
With simple fare cooked
By our parents’ hands.
Da would be smiling and
Ma watching us
To make sure we minded our manners.
We were thankful for our lives then,
But looking back I am
Thankful for the memories…
For where the noise of laughter was,
There is just the sound of me cooking
A feast for me, and thinking back to the days
When I was young,
And a family that was us…
Before I began school,
My brothers began to fly,
And my childhood became lonely
Without them calling me skunk.
They are all gone now,
Da, Ma, my brothers three,
My aunts, my uncles,
And some of my cousins
Gone from this life,
But within the walls I hear
Echoes of their voices
Trapped within the wooded walls,
And I whisper back to them…
I haven’t forgot
When we were young,
And how brave and daring we were.
Mary Elizabeth Todd
November 25, 2021
Walt, Love the way you ended this perfect holiday time poem.
See Marie? Even at your worst, your poems come shining through, as I’m sure you will.